Tag Archives: guam

My dear friend Janie first introduced me to Guamanian cuisine several years ago and I have been a fan ever since. One of my favorite Guamanian recipes is Guamanian Chicken and last night I decided to make up some Chamorro Red Rice as a side dish. Chamorro Red Rice is a traditional Guamanian rice dish made with achiote seed powder (annato), onion, garlic and salt. It has a beautiful reddish orange color and pairs very well with spicy dishes. It’s surprisingly mild in flavor and tastes absolutely delicious!

If you have any favorite Guamanian recipes that you would like to share, please feel free to contact me via the comments. I would love to try them! Thanks! Tessa

Ingredients:

1 cup white rice (washed and drained)

2 cups water

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 tsp canola oil

1 1/2 tsp achiote (annato) powder

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

Grab a medium sized pan with a tight fitting lid. Add canola oil and onion and saute until onion is opaque. Add all remaining ingredients, stir, cover and turn stove on simmer or the lowest setting. Cook until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender (about 15 minutes). Fluff rice with a fork. Remove from heat, cover and let the rice sit for about 3 – 5 minutes before dishing up. Makes about 4 servings. Enjoy! Tessa

My friend Janie first introduced me to Guamanian Chicken several years ago. She was taught how to make it from her sister in law who is from Guam. Guam is an island territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. When Janie first told me what the ingredients were in the chicken, I thought to myself no way, it won’t work, its missing sugar or something sweet in the recipe. I was seriously wrong…

Guamanian Chicken is probably one of the most flavorful grilled chicken that I have ever tasted. It’s made with a sauce or a marinade called finadene. Finadene is pronounced fin-ah-den-ee and not “vinny dinny” like I originally thought. Finadene is a simple sauce made with soy sauce, vinegar, fresh lemon juice, sliced green onions and hot sauce. You can adjust the heat by adding red peppers or omitting the hot sauce altogether.

After grilling a big platter of Guamanian Chicken, I like to serve it with fluffy white jasmine rice, and a bowl of finadene on the side for drizzling. It’s easy to make and so delicious! Enjoy! Tessa

Guamanian Chicken Ingredients:

4 pounds chicken hindquarters (cut up)

1 cup soy sauce (I use low sodium)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup vinegar (I use rice vinegar)

1 cup chopped green onions

1 Tbs hot sauce

Grab a large bowl and add chicken. Whisk together the soy sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, chopped green onions and hot sauce. Add to chicken, toss well to coat, cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for about 4 hours or overnight. Turn chicken occasionally.

Meanwhile, make the sauce below by whisking all the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Put in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Finadene Sauce: (It’s the same as the marinade above, just half the volume)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/8 cup lemon juice

1/8 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup green onions

1 1/2 tsp hot sauce

Now that the chicken has marinated. Fire up your barbecue or indoor grill. Cook chicken on medium to medium high heat until the juices run clear or the chicken has an internal temperature of 180 degrees. Throw away the marinade… Don’t even think about reusing it or drizzling it on the rice. Remove chicken from grill, let rest 5 minutes and serve with rice and finadene sauce. Makes about 6 servings.